Nashville Hot Soft Shell Crab and Waffles
Soft shell crabs are currently in season so I decided to splurge and buy a dozen. I ordered them from the Chesapeake Bay and they arrived cleaned and frozen. Soft shell crabs are one of my favorite things to eat and I rarely have the option to eat them, so this was pretty exciting for me. The crabs are called “Soft Shell” because they are going through a molting phase where they have shed their hard shell and are left with a soft exterior. This enables you to eat the crab whole, instead of needing to crack it open for the meat.
The first meal I decided to make with them was a take on Chicken & Waffles, but make it Soft Shell Crab. And then to take it even further (because that’s what I love to do), I decided to add a Nashville-style hot sauce to the crab to stimulate as many taste buds as possible. It was a success.
Enjoy!
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Nashville Hot Soft Shell Crab & Waffles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter *I used salted, but you can use unsalted if you want to control the saltiness OR use clarified butter
- 3 tablespoons cayenne *you can use more OR less
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Salt to taste
- 4 soft shell crabs, cleaned
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Avocado/Canola/Vegetable oil for frying
- 2 1/4 all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup buttermilk
- More Butter
- Maple Syrup
- Powdered Sugar if you're feeling crazy!
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter on LOW.
- Once it’s melted, add the cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, brown sugar, honey and stir until mixed and remove from heat. Salt to taste. Don’t cook too long or the sugar will caramelize and then you won’t be able to toss the sauce on the crab. You can even microwave the butter to melt it and then add the seasonings to mix together if you want to play it safe. Mixture will be pasty.
- Rinse the soft shell crabs under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Remove the gills and the apron from the crabs if they're not already cleaned.
- In a shallow dish, pour the buttermilk and mix in the egg.
- In another shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and black pepper. Mix well.
- Dip each crab first into the buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off, then coat thoroughly with the seasoned flour mixture.
- Dip the floured crabs back into the buttermilk and coat them again with the flour mixture, ensuring they're evenly coated. Set aside.
- Heat about 2-3 inches of oil in a large skillet or deep fryer to 350°F
- Carefully place the crabs into the hot oil, one or two at a time, depending on the size of your skillet or fryer. Avoid overcrowding.
- Fry the crabs for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Once cooked, remove the crabs from the oil and place them on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Whisk dry ingredients together in large bowl
- In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites with hand mixer until stiff white peaks form and set aside
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together egg yolks, butter, buttermilk, whole milk, and vanilla
- Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well
- Fold in egg whites
- Pour batter into hot waffle iron and follow manufacturers cooking instructions.
- In a large, wide, bowl, add a crab and spoon or pour some Nashville sauce on top. Gently toss or use a cooking brush to evenly distribute sauce onto crab. Continue with the rest of crabs.
- Lather butter on top of waffle. Place crab on top and then drizzle with maple syrup. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you really want to get the party started.
- Enjoy this gluttonous masterpiece!
